which had already begun. Years
before, Cardinal Wolsey had not scrupled to shut up several, and take
their revenues to found Christ Church College at Oxford. The truth
was, that, in most cases, monasticism "was dead long before the
Reformation came to bury it" (S339, note 1). It was dead because it
had done its work,--in many respects a great and good work, which the
world could ill have spared (SS43, 45, 46, 60). The monasteries
simply shared the fate of all human institutions, however excellent
they may be.

"Our little systems have their day;
They have their day and cease to be:
They are but broken lights of Thee,
And Thou, O Lord, art more than they."[1]

[1] Tennyson's "In Memoriam."

Henry, however, had no such worthy object as Wolsey had. His pretext
was that these institutions had sunk into a state of ingnorance,
drunkenness, and profligacy. This may have been true of some of the
smaller monasteries, though not of the large ones. But the vices of
the monasteries the King had already made his own. It was their
wealth which he now coveted. The smaller religious houses were
speedily swept out of existence (1536). This caused a furious
insurrection in the North, called the "Pilgrimage of Grace" (1537);
but the revolt was soon put down.

Though Parliament had readily given its sanction to the extinction of
the smaller monasteries, it hesitated about abolishing the greater
ones. Henry, it is reported, sent for a leading member of the House o
Commons, and, laying his hand on the head of the kneeling
representative, said, "Get my bill passed by to-morrow, little man, or
else to-morrow this head of yours will come off." The next day the
bill passed, and the work of destruction began anew (1539). Property
worth millions of pounds was confiscated, and abbots like those of
Glastonbury and Charter House, who dared to resist, were speedily
hanged.[1]

[1] The total number of religious houses destroyed was 645
monasteries, 2374 chapels, 90 collegiate churches, and 110 charitable
institutions. Among the most famous of these ruins are Glastonbury,
Kirkstal, Furness, Netley, Tintern, and Fountains abbeys.

The magnificent monastic buildings throughout England were now
stripped of everything of value, and left as ruins. (See map
opposite.) The beautiful windowes of stained glass were wantonly
broken; the images of the saints were cast down